If That Is Your Wish
by FoxBlitz
Summary: Zuko thinks up a different way to seek Katara's forgiveness. Not even death will stand in his way for redemption. Zutara Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't any part of Avatar the Last Airbender.

A/N: This oneshot was inspired from the confrontation between Zuko and Katara before they faced the Southern Raiders. What if Zuko found a different way to make things up to Katara? This is completely implausible, I know, but I just couldn't get this out of my mind and had to write it. It's a tad on the short side, sorry! Most of my focus is on my other story "One's Own Worth." Perhaps when I have more time, I'll come back and flush it out a little more, but I had to get the idea down. Please enjoy the story though and tell me what you think about it.

* * *

**If That Is Your Wish**

Zuko stood facing Katara on the edge of a cliff in the still evening of the early night. "It's not fair! Everyone else seems to trusts me now! What is it with you?!" he demanded angrily.

"I was the first one to trust you! Back in Ba Sing Se! Remember!" shouted back Katara heatedly. "And you turned around and betrayed me!"

Zuko grit his teeth. She was right. She was completely right. He had messed up big time back there that day. His face softened. "I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Oh I don't know?" mocked Katara as she stormed over to him. "You could reclaim Ba Sing Se in name of the Earth King. Or, I know! Maybe you could bring my mother back!" she poked him harshly on the chest to emphasize her point as there was nothing he could possibly do to make it up to her. Then she turned and left.

* * *

Zuko remained staring at the ground long after Katara returned back to camp in her rage. Finally he slammed his fire-enraged fist strongly into an outcropped boulder that stood at the edge of the cliff. "Damnit!" he yelled. "What can I do to prove how sorry I really am?!" Then he remembered his ancestry.

He turned to face dark sky over the sea from the edge of the cliff. "Roku! Where are you! Aang's told me how you've helped him in the past! Well, I'm your damn grandson and I need to talk to you!" Nothing happened. The night remained still. Zuko slammed his fist into the rock again. Why was he surprised? It's not like spirits and dead Avatars just came to anyone who needed them. "ARGHHH!!!!" he shouted in frustration.

"Such an angry grandson," lectured a deep voice on top of the rock that Zuko had been hitting. The young prince looked up to see a ghostly apparition of his great grandfather looking down on him with concern. "I assume that there's a reason that you are demanding my presence with such hostility?"

Determination outweighed his shock. "I need to find a way to have Katara forgive me! Nothing I do is working! I want you to send me to the underworld!"

Roku raised an eyebrow. "And why would I send my grandchild there?"

"I have business there," Zuko replied simply.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the Water Tribe girl's dead mother, would it?" hinted Roku.

"I'm going to bring her back," stated Zuko with fierce determination in his eyes. "This is the only way to make Katara forgive me."

"You realize that you are asking the impossible right?" questioned Roku. "The dead cannot return to this world simply because you want it to happen."

"Do you really think that I care?" shot back the enraged prince. "Either you help me or I'll find another way! Surely there are darker spirits that will heed my request." His tone had grown dark and sinister.

Roku stared intensely at his grandson. There was no doubt in his eyes. If he didn't get what he wanted here, then he would willingly dive into darkness. "There is no stopping you in this reckless mission is there?" caved Roku. The prince shook his head. "Fine! I will get you there." He tossed an amulet to his grandson. "Use that to get out, but it's magicks will only last a few hours at best. If the shine disappears you'll be stuck there forever." Roku's arm became enshrouded in fire. "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into."

Zuko stood firm. "That's not important." Roku shoved his entire flaming arm through Zuko's chest.

* * *

Pain. Agony. Torture. Suffering. Anguish. None of these words could possibly describe the shock that shook Zuko's body. He screamed for hours, days, years, it was as if time had no meaning. He couldn't remember a time in which he wasn't in pain. Then as soon as it had come, all feeling disappeared and Zuko opened his eyes. He was in a cavern. Cold blue fire lit the walls in the form of torches. Decorative suits of armor lined the walls under the light sources.

Before him was a throne, in which a pale, decrepit man sat. The figure was shriveled, with grey fading hair and empty eye sockets. A broken crown hung loosely from the figure's head. A bony finger was slowly raised to point at Zuko and the figure screeched an inhuman cry. The fire prince was forced to his knees, cupping his ears in a pitiful attempt to drain out the screech.

After the sound faded from the room, Zuko compelled himself to stand again. The figure looked at him expectantly. "I'm here for Katara'a mother! You will return her!" He attempted to summon a burst of fire into his hand to emphasize his point, but was shocked to realize that his bending was gone.

The decrepit man snapped his fingers and a Water Tribe woman appeared in a glass, circular prism next to him. The woman looked around in a panic like she had no idea where she was. She began to bang on the glass but no sound escaped. The decrepit man shrieked loudly again and Zuko fought to remain standing as he covered his ears tightly. Another snap of the fingers and the ghostly sound of metal scraping against metal echoed throughout the cavern room.

Four suits of armor slowly began to move and walk in front of the throne. Each held a gruesome looking weapon meant to do nothing but inflict the upmost pain and suffering on its victim. A large double sided broadaxe, a five-pronged morning star, an enormous scimitar, and a wicked-looking scythe all glinted maliciously in the cold blue light.

Zuko stared down his opponents unwaveringly. These fools were merely roadblocks in his mission and just like all obstacles in his life, he would overcome them. However, without his bending accessible to him, things just got much harder. A familiar weight knocked aside his leg. Looking down he noticed his sheathed Dao swords resting on his belt clip. The fire prince grinned to himself. Roku may have been reluctant to let him undertake this fool's errand, but he was still watching out for him by giving him his swords.

Exhaling, Zuko drew his weapons with a single fluid motion and stood tall against the four suits of armor. The Water Tribe woman had stopped banging on the glass. She saw the standoff, and somehow knew that the boy was there to save her. She prayed for his success.

At an unheard signal, the axe and scythe armors charged. From either side, the two swung their weapons to catch the prince in a pincer attack. Leaping back, Zuko dodged to find the scimitar armor launching himself over the other two to bring down its weapon like a hammer.

Raising both his swords in a cross, Zuko caught the scimitar in a block, but the armor knight kept pushing down heavily to force a standstill. Suddenly five metal spiked balls crashed into his right side and tore out chucks of skin as the young fighter cried out in pain. He hadn't seen the attack coming out of the corner of his bad eye, and without his firebending, there was no way to detect any heat coming from his opponents to mark their positions. A careless oversight and one he paid greatly for.

With a front kick, he knocked the armor in front of him away and jumped back for a recollecting breather. Four on one was taxing. He needed to separate them somehow; just for a little bit to create an opening. The armors didn't give him time to think.

The scythe armor appeared behind him with a wide flashing arc of its weapon, which he blocked by raising his left sword and countered with a spinning right slash. The armor melded back out of reach, with the blade barely making a faint scratch on the metal chest plate. Zuko ducked under the follow up thrust of the scimitar armor and delivered a decisive side kick to knock the brute back.

The morning star armor flung the business end of its weapon at the prince again, but this time he was ready and rose up his right sword to catch the spiked chain balls. A tug of war ensued, in which Zuko twisted his weapon and pulled the morning star away from his opponent. The disarmed weapon flew from his swords and crashed into the scimitar armor to stumble the golem. The unarmed armor clasped its hands together and brought them down heavily on Zuko in a crushing blow that shattered the ground as the fire prince rolled out of the way.

Coming out of his roll he launched one of his swords at the axe armor that was rushing towards him and the weapon caught the golem in between the chest plate and the helmet, causing the armor to fall backwards to the ground. Rushing to the fallen opponent, Zuko grasped his blade and slit the golem's throat to result in the creature fading away in light blue flames. "One down," tallied Zuko as he attempted to catch his breath. The other three armors regrouped before him.

Kya watched as the young boy finally managed to overcome one of the four golems and breathed out in relief. She was sure that the fight was over the second the morning star had connected, but the teen had grit his teeth and fought through what must have been excruciating pain. She had no idea where she was or what was going on. The last thing that she remembered was the Fire Nation Southern Raider Yon Rha demanding to know the identity of the last Southern waterbender and then nothing. Everything in between now and then was a blank.

The scimitar armor led the charge this time, flanked by its two brethren. Zuko blocked the blade aimed at his throat and jumped over the scythe edge at attempted to decapitate his knees. He heard, instead of saw, the morning star attempt to blindside him again and just barely managed to make the parry.

Ducking under a haymaker of a slice by the scythe armor, Zuko rolled around it and shot up slashing wildly with his swords. The knight fell to its knees with a large cross scar in the back of its armor before bursting into flames. Zuko landed in a crouch. Placing his right sword under his armpit, he leapt backwards quickly and caught the annoying morning star armor knight under his chest armor. The knight froze with it weapon raised above its head as it was about to bring the weapon crashing down on the young prince.

Zuko twisted his blade sharply before pulling it out and spinning to his feet to facedown the last remaining armor, his latest victim collapsing in a blaze of light blue fire behind him. The scimitar knight stood unflinching as its buddy went down.

From her glass prison, Kya began to hope. Whoever this boy was, he was winning. And if the circumstances were telling her anything, the situation was over her. The decrepit old man next to her was watching the battle with a calculating glaze from his empty eyes. The smallest of smirks crossed his face.

The scimitar knight swung its blade in a circle a couple of times to taunt the young fire prince as the two circled. Zuko had one blade pointed sharply at his enemy and another drawn back behind himself ready to lash out. Without warning, the two warriors clashed and metal resounded throughout the grand hall. With two weapons, Zuko had an offensive advantage, but his opponent was always just fast enough to parry all of his strikes. The fighters distanced themselves to regroup.

Seconds later, they lunged at each other again with a final decisive cut. Zuko fell to his knees, blood flowing freely from a shoulder wound. The scimitar knight looked back before his chest plate shattered into several pieces and he erupted in a ball of flame. "Gotcha…"

The young fire prince rushed to the Water Tribe woman in the glass prison. "Back up! I'll get you out of there!" he shouted as he motioned for her to step back. The woman did so and Zuko swung his Dao broadsword together in a crushing arc to shatter the cage open. He sheathed his weapons and offered his hand. "Let's go."

Zuko was blindsided from the direction of the throne by a ball of pure energy. He crashed into the ground and rolled pitifully to the side a couple of times before coming to a stop. "Urgh…what the hell was that?" he cursed. Looking back, the most alluring figure of a succubus stood holding a trident with an outstretched hand that was crackling with dark energy. The skin of the decrepit old man was crumpled at her feet.

"I'm here for the woman," demanded Zuko as he slowly stood clutching his side. "Give her to me!" The succubus merely grinned at him before shooting another dark purple blast of energy at him, which caused him to crash into the wall and gasp out in pain. The beauty continued to shoot of beam after beam, which drill mercilessly into the prince.

"You're in the underworld boy," the succubus taunted. "There's no getting out of here, ever!" She crackled with laugher some more as Zuko lay collapsed next to the wall. "I think I'll make you my new personal pet. You may call me mistress."

Zuko managed to look up at the succubus with all the fury he could muster. Using one of his swords, he gradually pushed up himself to one knee. "Let the woman go. We are both getting out of this hellhole."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," mocked the succubus as she raised the trident again. "You just don't learn. Don't think you can defeat me like those armor knights." Another beam of dark purple energy slammed into Zuko and he cried out in anguish. "You'll be here forever, doomed to eternal damnation. It's what you deserve for…Urgh!" The succubus looked down at her chest to see the armor knight's scimitar protruding from her stomach.

Kya's voice spoke up from behind the succubus harshly. "I don't really know what's going on, but leave the boy alone." The succubus spun around and backhanded Kya onto the ground.

"Don't…don't think…that…that you…can…can defeat me!" she gasped as blue blood dripped from her wound. Rising her trident at Kya, the succubus continued, "Time for you to return to oblivion."

"Go to hell," Zuko cursed from behind the succubus as he had used the distraction to get behind the devil and behead her. The succubus disappeared in a veil of blue flames like the armor knights.

Dropping his swords, Zuko collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Kya rushed to his side. "Thank you for freeing me and saving my life, but who are you? What's going on?"

Grinning, Zuko pulled the amulet from his tunic and placed it in Kya's hand while still gripping it himself. "There's someone that wants to see you again." A bright light erupted in the underworld and with a flash, the two were gone.

* * *

"Katara, what were you and Zuko arguing about back there?" questioned Toph as the Gaang sat around the campfire eating dinner.

"Yeah Katara," added Aang. "You came back in such a huff and were kind of frightening to be around."

"Nothing," denied Katara. "It's just been a long day and I'm stressed out okay."

"You're lying," countered Toph. Then she smirked, "Did Zuko try to pull a move on you?"

"What!" cried out Sokka as he spit out his soup. His head turned quickly to his sister. "What's going on?! Is Zuko coming on to you?! I've got a few words to say to him! That no good, lousy…"

"No!" defended Katara. "As if I would let a traitorous snake like him even try something like that!"

Aang had been clutching his spoon at Toph's joke, but settled down at Katara's statement.

Sokka, on the other hand, was just getting started. He drew his meteorite sword. "Just let me at him! I'll teach him to go after my sister!"

Suddenly a flash of light shot into the dark sky just out of sight of the camp. The three benders and lone warrior had all gathered their respective elements and sword as they stood to face the possible threat. Two figures appeared over the hill. One was limping and being supported by the other. They walked closer to the group, but the darkness of the night made their faces unrecognizable.

Toph gasped and dropped the earth spikes that she had bended up to defend the group. She knew one of those vibrations. "It's Zuko! And he's hurt!"

The rest of the group dropped their weapons and elements, albeit a little reluctantly in Katara's case. Seconds later the two figures came into view and Katara gasped. She immediately ran to embrace the other figure while Zuko managed to stand on his own. "This isn't a dream, is it?" she whispered to her mother.

"No Katara, it isn't," whispered her mother back as she returned the embrace. "I'm here to stay. Your friend here rescued me."

Tears in her eyes, Katara turned to look at Zuko who smiled in return. "Will you forgive me now?"


End file.
